Over the years, many different types of window coverings have been proposed. It is generally recognized that window coverings of one type or another are desirable for a wide variety of reasons including privacy, aesthetics, and environmental, i.e., to soften or eliminate the influx of sunlight in daytime and to help in terms of heating and cooling requirements by establishing an additional thermal barrier. For these purposes, curtains, blinds and shades have experienced widespread utilization.
Generally speaking, it has been thought that such curtains, blinds and shades are satisfactory in most respects. They do, for instance, accomplish the functions of affording privacy, providing aesthetic window treatments, and, in some instances, accomplishing environmental objectives. Nevertheless, they have been found lacking in the degree of versatility that would be considered desirable in a most important respect.
Specifically, it has generally been recognized, especially with regard to window shades, that they must be mounted at the top of a window. This, of course, is also true for blinds and curtains which, similarly, are mounted at the top of a window and, in the case of window shades and blinds, intended to be raised and lowered relative to the top of the window for opening and closing purposes, respectively. As a result, there has been no window treatment available which has departed to any significant extent from what is regarded by most to be a conventional mounting.
In this connection, it is generally recognized that it would be desirable to have a window covering that could be placed in an infinite variety of positions. For instance, it might be desirable, depending upon window placement, to be able to cover a lower half of a window by means of a shade or the like whereby the top sash could be lowered for ventilation purposes while still giving the requisite degree of privacy. Also, based upon the position of the sun, it might be desirable to cover a midportion of a window to block the sun but to otherwise not obscure the view from the window.
In any event, this has simply been impossible to achieve in an entirely satisfactory fashion with any of the conventional window treatments that have been available to the consuming public. This relates principally to the fact that such window treatments have consistently been designed to be mounted at the top of a window and, thus, can only operate so as to be opened in a single direction and, of course, are severely limited in terms of the portion and degree of the window that can be obscured thereby. In an attempt to overcome these problems, Judge U.S. Pat. No. 604,329 proposes a window shade that is mounted relative to the side frame of a window.
Unfortunately, the Judge '329 window shade would essentially be inoperative since it was designed in a manner where it would be nearly impossible to operate. It utilized roller tension devices associated with every one of a plurality of rigid, hinged slats that cooperate with side mounted tracks. With this arrangement, it would be necessary to individually move every one of the roller tension devices to reposition the window shade.
In view of the foregoing, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a window shade assembly that effectively and efficiently permits an essentially infinite positioning in relation to a window.